Captain Marvel (6th Series)

In 2002, Captain Marvel (5th Series) was headed for the chopping block because of lackluster sales and in spite of a faithful fan-following and critical praise. In order to save the book, it was relaunched with a new #1 issue and included in a publicity stunt called U-Decide, a contest that saw the launching of two more Marvel titles—the often T-and-A covered Marville and the allegedly humorous Ultimate Adventures—that would compete for sales with the good Captain; the winner would continue on and the losers would fold up their tents and close their respective shows.

At any rate, writer Peter David (Supergirl) really pulled out the stops with this relaunch. He decided to really look at what makes Genis (Captain Marvel) special: his cosmic awareness, a prescience that is similar to Spider-Man’s spider-sense, but on a much larger—close to universal—scale. This power is driving the Captain insane, and his best friend, Rick Jones, is unable to do anything to help him since he’s trapped inside Genis’s head and the Microverse. Incidentally, Jones is the Marvel Universe’s everyman, the guy who speaks to and for the reader in fantastic situations.

Nothing like shaking up the status quo right out of the gate, eh? What happens when one of the most powerful beings in the universe is consumed by madness? Leave it to David to pose just such a question—in the series’ opening storyline.

Not to be outdone, artist ChrisCross (Blood Syndicate) redefines his artistic style by offering gorgeous painted pencils, giving this relaunched series a look that distinguishes it from its immediate predecessor.